The English Embankment (; ''Angliyskaya Naberezhnaya'') or English Quay is a street along the left bank of the

Bolshaya Neva River The Great Neva or Bolshaya Neva () is the largest armlet of the river Neva. It starts near the Spit of Vasilievsky Island (easternmost tip of the island). The Great Neva is long; the width is from and the depth up to . Its tributaries are Font ...

Central Saint Petersburg Central Saint Petersburg is the central and the leading part of Saint Petersburg, Russia. It looks nothing like the downtown district of a typical major city, and has no skyscrapers. The Central Business District's main borders are Neva River t ...

. It has been historically one of the most fashionable streets in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, and in the 19th century was called by the French term, ''Promenade des Anglais''. It was from the English Embankment that at 2 am on October 25, 1917, the gunshot from the ''

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

'' sent the signal to storm the

Winter Palace The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, previous emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. The floor area is 233,345 square ...

during the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. The English Embankment runs perpendicular to the south end of the

Annunciation Bridge The Annunciation Bridge ( - ''Blagoveshchensky most''; from 1855 to 1918 Nikolaevsky Bridge, ; from 1918 to 2007 called Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge, ) is the first permanent bridge built across the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It connec ...

and spans between the Novo-Admiralteysky Canal and the Decembrists Square, where it becomes the

Admiralty Embankment The Admiralty Embankment ( (''Admiralteyskaya Naberezhnaya'')) or Admiralty Quay is a street along the Neva River in Central Saint Petersburg, named after the Admiralty Board. It is a short embankment (630 meters) built at the former site of the ...

History

The British Embassy and church

The English Embankment was built between 1763 and 1767. It is named after the former British Embassy and the English church that was located at No56, the building is now occupied by the Travel and Sightseeing Bureau. The English church was built in 1814 and 1815 to a design by

Giacomo Quarenghi Giacomo Quarenghi (; , ; 20 or 21 September 1744) was an Italian architect who was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of neoclassical architecture in Imperial Russia, particularly in Saint Petersburg. He brought into vogue an original mo ...

, it is preserved as architectural landmark. The interior of the English church is highlighted with marble, historic paintings, and boasts a large pipe organ - the only English organ existing in Russia. The last British Ambassador left in 1918, after the

Battleship Aurora during the revolution

Next to the

is a monument commemorating the 1917

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. It was led by Vladimir L ...

. From this historic spot, at 2 am on October 25, 1917, the gunshot from the ''

'' sent the signal to storm the

. The symbolism of the name "Aurora" was its meaning as "the dawn of a new era" in history. This historic spot has been since a traditional location for a swear-in ceremony for new members of the Pioneers and the

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

organisations.

Annual appearance of the "Scarlet Sails"

Another historic tradition that started at the English Embankment in St. Petersburg has been the popular appearance of a boat with "Scarlet Sails" (). This tradition began here after the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when schools united to celebrate the ending of a school year in connection with symbolism of the popular children's book '' Scarlet Sails'' by

Alexander Grin Aleksandr Stepanovich Grinevsky (better known by his pen name, Aleksander Green / Grin (spelling varies in non-Russian literature), rus, Александр Грин, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɡrʲin, a=Ru-Aleksandr Grin.ogg, 23 August 1880 – 8 July 1 ...

. At that time a boat with scarlet sails was sailing along the English Embankment and the Admiralty Embankment towards the

. Although it was designed to update the rusty revolutionary propaganda, the "Scarlet Sails" tradition has become a popular public event ever since, celebrating the annual ending of school year in June. The "Scarlet sails" appearance is now part of the White Nights celebration.YouTube
"Scarlet Sails" celebration in St. Petersburg
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Today

One of the most prestigious locations in St. Petersburg, the English Embankment today is mostly home to corporate offices located in former palatial houses of imperial Russian nobility and pre-revolutionary foreign embassies. It is a very popular sightseeing destination among tourists because of the view of the Neva and palaces across the river. The

Menshikov Palace The Menshikov Palace () is a Petrine Baroque edifice in Saint Petersburg, situated on Universitetskaya Embankment of the Bolshaya Neva on Vasilyevsky Island.It is not to be confused with the Menshikov Palace in Oranienbaum, Russia, built by th ...

and the Academy of Arts building on the

Vasilevsky Island Vasilyevsky Island (, Vasilyevsky Ostrov, V.O.) is an island in St. Petersburg, Russia, bordered by the Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva Rivers (in the delta of the Neva River) in the south and northeast, and by Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finl ...

across the river. Many boat tours start at the embankment, taking tourists on a journey about canals and bridges of St. Petersburg. The

Constitutional Court of Russia The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation () is a high court within the judiciary of Russia which is empowered to rule on whether certain laws or presidential decrees are in fact contrary to the Constitution of Russia. Its objective is o ...

is scheduled to move to the former Senate and Synod buildings at the Decembrists Square and English Embankment in St. Petersburg by 2008. The move will partially restore Saint Petersburg's historic status, making the city the second judicial capital.

References

External links

{{Authority control Streets in Saint Petersburg Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg